Where Are The Crystal Palace Statues Now ?

Chelsey · Post by **Chelsey** » 8 May 2009 17:24

Hi guys ,
does any body out there know the whereabouts of , or have photos of any of the statues that were removed from the Crystal Palace and its grounds since the fire in 1936 ?
Cheers
Chelsey

Konqi · Post by **Konqi** » 8 May 2009 20:14

well a lot were auctioned off so are in private properties.

There are a number still left although in bad condition around the park and by park keepers lodge.

Some are more publicly visible in places that I have seen photos of although can't remember exact locations of them.

You may find this topic interesting: http://sydenham.org.uk/forum/viewtopic. ... 257bf250a7

Chelsey · Post by **Chelsey** » 8 May 2009 21:25

Thanks for that , i had missed that post and great it is too , i was surprised at the state some of the stuff is in , but also nice to see what some of them were copied from . I believe that some of the statues are still relatively local to Sydenham , Father Thames comes to mind ...though i'm not sure of his location ( i believe he is visible in the footage of the destruction of the north tower ) but after that ...who knows ?

many thanks for your help
Chelsey

griffiths · Post by **griffiths** » 13 Jul 2009 15:18

Chelsey. Acording to P 41 of Delamotte's Crystal P alace by Ian Leith the reclining figure of Father Thames is now located at Lechlade, Gloucestershire, which is reputed to be the source of the Thames. By the way is the bust of Joseph Paxton still located in the CP grounds?

Chelsey · Post by **Chelsey** » 14 Jul 2009 16:25

Hi There,
the bust of Joseph Paxton is still in Crystal Palace Park , and thank you for the info on " Father Thames "

Cheers Chelsey

Steve Grindlay · Post by **Steve Grindlay** » 14 Jul 2009 19:39

tulse hill terry mentions the Thames statue at Lechlade here where he also mentions this statue of Pacific, which is in Dacres Road:

Edited: thanks, Terry, I've put the correct link in now.

Chelsey · Post by **Chelsey** » 15 Jul 2009 04:33

Hi Steve
so how many more are in the local vicinity , I hadnt heard about " Pacific " in fact i didn't even know it existed

Many Thanks
Chelsey

tulse hill terry · Post by **tulse hill terry** » 16 Jul 2009 17:39

Lovely Pic of "Pacific".

The thread mentioned is acutally here.

http://forum.sydenham.org.uk/viewtopic. ... 736d5873f3

There is one marble statue for sale at the moment, link below, as well as an urn for sale at Lassco's

http://www.chelminski.com/marble/314.html

And here the gist of my response in the other thread.

This statue, symbolising the Pacific Ocean, comes from the lower terrace of the Crystal Palace. It was joined by 3 other figures representing the Arctic, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans.

To the north were another set of statues for the edge of an identical pond [image above], this time of the Rivers Ganges, Amazon, Nile, and the Thames.

The figure of Thames, above, was sold at the auction of 1957, and was placed at the start of that river. Thanks to our old friend - vandalism - it was moved to St John's Lock Lechdale.

This one is signed R. Monti for Raffaelle Monti, a sculptor who created much work for the Crystal Palace Company.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raffaelle_Monti

Chelsey · Post by **Chelsey** » 16 Jul 2009 18:46

Hi Tulse Hill Terry
do you know if the other ones you just mentioned are still in existence , and if so their whereabouts . And does anyone know who actually bought the statues sold in 1957 and what became of them ?

Many Thanks
Chelsey

tulse hill terry · Post by **tulse hill terry** » 16 Jul 2009 19:24

There is no complete and accurate list of all the sculptural works at the Crystal Palace.

I've tried to identify what was there, but not all survived by the time of the 1957 sale, and would anyone know what was in their garden by now? Statues still there after the 1957 sale after continued to disappear or be significantly vandalised.

There is a list of buyers from the sale, but they are mixed up with buyers of urns, long dead dealers etc, etc.

I have read on this forum that there is a statue bought at that sale in a garden in the Sydenham area, but no picture or description was given. I have seen one statue on the Crystal Palace Dircon site described as from the Palace grounds, when it wasn't.

It's best to remember that Sir Joseph Paxton was gardener for the Duke of Devonshire, at his home in Derbyshire - Chatsworth. I've been looking through flickr since my last post, and it's interesting to see many of the marble pieces, present at Chatsworth were also used at Sydenham also.

These statues would have been famous and instantly recognisable in their time. Joseph Paxton must have been guided by the Duke's taste when his son-in-law, Edward Stokes laid out the gardens.

It's clear that the Rivers and Oceans figures were chosen (as decoration when the fountains weren't running) from these examples at Chatsworth, though they all follow Classical examples.

I don't know exactly what you want to find out, but if you're looking for a similar experience, why not visit Chatsworth one day.

Otherwise, you could read my thread, mentioned already in this one, for the ones I have been able to identify so far.

http://sydenham.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1538

Hope this helps.

Melvyn Harrison · Post by **Melvyn Harrison** » 21 Apr 2011 09:43

The Crystal Palace statue Ganges has now been located and positively identified.

It is located on a small island in the lake in gardens east of Brooklands Park, Blackheath, London, SE3.

So as far as the Crystal Palace Rivers and Oceans series of statues is concerned Pacfic (Dacres Road, Forest Hill, SE23), Thames (St John's Lock, Lechlade on Thames, Gloucestershire) and now Ganges have all been located.

I wonder where the statues are of Arctic (retained by the GLC), Atlantic (sold), Indian (sold) Oceans and Nile (retained by the GLC) and Amazon (sold) rivers?

marymck · Post by **marymck** » 21 Apr 2011 17:11

I'll have some of what Pacific's on, please. Now where did I put the patchouli?

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